By Wendy McDonnell

When the words, “There’s ants in my locker,” were spoken in a dynamic Grade 6-7 class, the classroom energy shifted from a self absorbed chatter to a sense of panic.  Instantly, countless numbers of boys ran into the hallway to check the locker from a safe distance, while the girls discussed the possibility of a complete ant infestation of the school.

I could instantly sense their imaginations being switched from self-focused personal fulfillment opportunities, to possible life threatening attacks.  Boys started sharing ant bite stories (which were oddly familiar to the popular fish-tales of exaggeration and domination) while the girls quickly continued with their concern about their lunch being touched by an ant.

I did not take much time to share the endless important qualities of ants (including their nutritional elements), nor did I take much time to point out the relative size of the ants compared to only a strand of their hair.  Instead, I chose to watch and reflect.  I watched as a few of the bravest boys cautiously approached the locker with disgust.  I watched as they opened the lock and reached in to grab the countless empty juice-boxes and pop cans with disdain.  When a few ants presented themselves on the top of the sugary cans, the cans were instantly dropped and a squishing ritual ensued.  Laughter, excitement and smiles were simultaneously paired with the numerous deaths of the ants in and around the locker.

This is but one example of the societal attitudes that have developed around insects of all kinds.  Insects are to be destroyed at all times because they are threatening destructive and dirty, especially if they are in or near a human’s habitat.  This common belief instantly places humans at the whim of the microscopic beings that essentially are responsible for the continuance of life.  Their job as scavengers maintain the cleanliness of our cities, their job as food source maintains the life of our fish, chickens, and ducks that sustain so much of our people.  Their jobs as insect pest control and pollinators ensure that our crops continue without hardship.  They can be annoying, they can sting, and yes they can be fun to squish.  But how much of this true understanding of the cycle of life, do our children grasp?  How many times have they really stopped to watch and learn from the thousands of insects that surround them in their classrooms, their homes and their lockers?  Do they know that some insects raise and nurture their young as we do?  Have they compared themselves with an insect to identify the many similarities? Have they observed the technological marvels that insects create daily?

Although ant squishing, ant attacks and ant infestations are exercises for the imagination of children and adults, take time to identify the positive and imperative place that insects have in our existence.  Research the insects in your neighbourhood and discover their talents, skills and amazing job requirements.  Embrace the unknown and nurture the inquisitive creative mind in yourself and your child by observing, sketching and exploring an insects home.  Most “new” scientific or architectural discoveries are not new at all, but have been “copied” from those that are creep and crawl.  Nurturing this in your child will ensure endless creativity, empathy and future successes.

Filed under:
Articles by Wendy